Terminus
by Mr Evil 37
Summary: CANCELLED. PARTS FOUR AND FIVE, PREVIOUSLY UNRELEASED, HAVE BEEN POSTED. A SUMMARY OF WHERE THE STORY WOULD HAVE GONE IS ON ITS WAY. With Destiny's epic journey prematurely brought to an end, Nicholas Rush reflects on the mission that will now never be fulfilled, while being constantly reminded of the painful events leading up to the ship's death.
1. Part One

**Author's Note:**

**Many apologies to everyone who reads this story, but it will not be finished. You can currently read Parts One to Five (along with half of Part Six), and I will soon be posting a summary of where the story would have gone. For more info, see the Author's Note at the start of Part Four.**

**If you decide to read this story regardless, I hope you enjoy it, and I'd love to hear your comments. I've edited it so it's clearer which scenes are in the present and which are flashbacks.**

**Thank you.**

* * *

**Stargate Universe: Terminus**

_Written by Mr Evil 37_

* * *

**Part One**

**Present:**

Light shone warmly across the infinite mountain range, as the sun slowly began to sink. In the distance, Nicholas Rush could see the snow capped peaks reflecting the fire that burned at the centre of the solar system. The stars of the universe had been powering them on their journey for so long; _and now, as we near our destination, this one fails to provide for us. _Rush found the irony difficult to appreciate.

Sprawled over the dusty plateau in front of him was the carcass of the star ship _Destiny_; the relatively flat triangular front end stretched out before the scientist, becoming narrower towards the bow. The surface of the ship was covered in layers of textural elements, including a vast arsenal of double- and triple-barrelled energy cannons. The sun light glared harshly off the ancient metal, highlighting the gaping cracks, holes and corrosions of _Destiny'_shull.

_After millions of years travelling through the universe, across billions of light-years, this ship is still more or less intact_, Rush thought admirably. _Destiny _truly was a technological marvel; for a ship to have the capability to fly so deep into space, and to cross between galaxies on a relatively regular basis, was an incredible achievement. The Ancients really deserved the reverence of the many races that idealised and even worshiped them in the Milky Way and Pegasus galaxies.

The vista before him was truly spectacular. The distant mountains were larger than any Rush had ever seen on Earth or anywhere else, and the sun dazzled his eyes as it continued to fall below the horizon; the darkness creeped slowly over the dead ship. It pained Rush's heart to know that the beautiful ship would never fly again. _It's mission – my mission – will never be fulfilled. Not now. _A million years worth of degradation, combined with the battering of numerous attempts by outside parties to take the ship by force, had whittled the ship down to a shadow of her former great self. It had simply been a matter of time before the ship experienced a fatal breakdown.

_A matter of time..._

* * *

**Flashback:**

Eli yawned, earning himself a disapproving glare from Nicholas Rush. _Oh, I'm sorry that you got me out of bed to work so early_, Eli thought sarcastically. They were alone in the bridge while the rest of the crew slept in their quarters. Eli felt his stomach grumble.

He looked up from the control console in front of him and stared through the viewport. _Destiny_ was currently travelling faster-than-light; streaks of blue shimmered over the ship, along with small points of white light: _stars. _The sight was utterly mesmerising. After two years of sailing through the universe, Eli still found it hard to believe that he was living every day on a space ship. _It's like a real life, much cooler version of Star Trek: Voyager._

Suddenly there was a flash, and a deep rumble reverberated throughout the entire ship. The blue FTL effect vanished, replaced by an unending blackness.

"Did you do that?" Eli asked, as he leant back in his chair.

For a moment the other scientist was silent. Eli looked over in curiosity to find Rush in one of the other chairs, staring incredulously at the screen in front of him for a fraction of a second, before he began pressing buttons and twisting dials. The ship lurched slightly.

"Yes," Rush replied succinctly. "Power reserves are running low. I'm going to take _Destiny_ into this system's star to recharge. Monitor the power levels."

Eli sighed again and leant forward, bringing up the power distribution interface on his screen with a couple of button presses. The hum of _Destiny_'s engines slowly sped up, and the blinding light of the sun began to beam through the bridges windows, illuminating every corner of the room. _Wow, _Eli thought. He instantly felt somewhat stupid: _you're looking at the most powerful thing in all of creation, and all you can say is, "Wow"? _Solar flares danced from the surface of the sun like immense tornados of light, swirling in blinding iridescence.

After a few more minutes, Rush carefully manipulated _Destiny_'s controls and took the ship underneath the scorching surface of the star. The solar material blanketed the bridges viewports, flooding the room with light. Eli squinted down at his console.

"Power flow is stable," he said. "Mind if I go get something to eat?"

Rush ignored him, merely burying himself within the data on his console once more. _Sure, go ahead, Eli, _he thought to himself. _Great work by the way! _He turned and began walking across the bridge towards the exit.

_Bang!_

The ship lurched again and Eli was thrown hard against the floor. Pain exploded in his arm as the boom resonated throughout the ship. Sparks began to explode out of the consoles all around them. Fear gripped his stomach.

"There was an explosion in the FTL drive! The engines are offline, and we haven't pulled out of the star yet!" Rush screamed over the din as he punched buttons and twisted dials in a desperate attempt to reignite the engines.

"What the hell happened?" Eli yelled in response as he picked himself clumsily off the floor. "Everything was fine a second ago!"

"The entire power network is flooded! It's going to burn out the shields," Rush exclaimed, with real fear in his voice as he gestured at another console. "Get over there and initiate an emergency shutdown and restart!"

Eli shook himself out of his trance of horror and practically leapt into the chair. He frantically began shutting down all systems except for the shields. _Oh my God, oh my God, oh my God..._ The next few seconds went by in a blur of activity and beeps and clicks, when suddenly red flashed all over his console. _We're going to die..._

"Reset everything, now!" Rush yelled again. "The shields are failing!"


	2. Part Two

**Part Two**

**Present:**

Rush remembered the day he had discovered the ship's mission: the reason why the Ancients had launched it into the unknown universe millennia ago. The more Rush pondered it, the more he understood the appropriateness of the ships name: _Destiny._

The Ancients originally sent out a number of automated ships into the universe to seed planets with Stargates and to chart far away galaxies. Years later, when the seed ships were a sufficient distance ahead, _Destiny_ was launched with no crew; essentially flying on autopilot. The Ancients planned to use the Stargate, and the specially chosen nine chevron gate address, to board the ship once it was far enough out into the universe to be able to follow through with its mission.

Precise details of this objective had been unavailable to the new crew until Rush had discovered the ships bridge, and with it the code to unlock all of her systems. From exploring the data base, he had discovered that before the seed ships were launched the Ancients had found some kind of pattern hidden deep within the cosmic microwave background radiation left behind by the Big Bang.

_It should not exist_, Rush thought. _It defies the very laws of physics and therefore could not have occurred naturally. _The pattern suggested more than a random order to the construction of the universe; it was perhaps evidence that the cosmos was _artificial_ in nature, created by some kind of advanced being or alien race. _Anything with that kind of power could help human beings reach our true potential_, Rush speculated. _Our knowledge of how the universe came into existence would be revolutionised._

_We could discover our origins and our fate; our destiny._

They might even be able to discover what came before. There was speculation onboard the ship that it could be some kind of message from God, and while Rush was not ruling out any possibilities, he believed there was only one way to find out: to press forward, and to stop wishing to go home.

This discovery had vastly increased Rush's understanding of _Destiny_ and the seed ships. The Stargates that had been placed on planets along _Destiny_'s planned course served only as mechanisms for the crew's survival, allowing them to gather essential resources such as food and water. The exploration of far away galaxies, while an important goal in its own right, was secondary to _Destiny_ gathering fragments of this "message" within the radiation in order to decipher it's true meaning. The ships current record of the pattern played only as static.

At the time, Rush had been jubilant at this find; he had been giddy with excitement at the prospect of unlocking the secrets of the cosmos. But since then he had made frustratingly little progress in his research. _And now I will never make any, _he thought with a deep sadness. _We will never find the origin of the message, or discover how the universe was created and by whom. _The accident months ago had robbed Nicholas Rush of his chance to fulfil his dreams.

After the dust had settled, and the full extent of their situation was revealed, he had locked himself in his quarters and cried himself to sleep. Destiny_ is dead. Its mission will never be fulfilled._

_Never..._

* * *

**Flashback:**

Everett Young practically leaped through the entrance to the bridge. He immediately grabbed the railing in front of him as the perpetual shaking threatened to bring him to the floor. Sirens overwhelmed his hearing. Eli and Rush were sat at two different consoles, their hands and fingers moving frantically over the buttons and dials.

"The shields are failing!" Rush screamed.

The Colonel's heart raced. Adrenalin was pumped around his body like an intoxicating drug. His helplessness hit him like a freight train: the whole crew was in danger and he could do nothing about it.

"What the hell is going on?" Young exclaimed in desperation. "Rush! Do something!"

"What do you think I'm trying to do?" Rush replied angrily. "Initiating the restart... Now!"

He pressed a button.

A deep rumble began reverberating throughout the bridge. The ship lurched once. The Colonel's grip on the handrail grew tighter. The next couple of second felt like an eternity. _It didn't work... we're going to die..._

"The engines are back on! I'm pulling us out of the star," Rush stated, as his hands moved masterfully over the ships controls. _Destiny_ continued to accelerate, rising out of the fire and breaking away from the deadly grasp of the stellar wind, out into empty space.

Young released his breath. The bridge was completely silent for a moment as _Destiny_ shot forward, the countdown clock ticking down until the jump back into FTL. _We're okay_, Young thought to himself as relief flooded his confused mind, calming him like an ocean breeze. He tried to steady his breathing and opened his mouth to congratulate Eli and Rush. _We're okay..._

_Bang! _

Another explosion rocked the entire ship. The bridge was suddenly enveloped in darkness. Through the bridge viewports he could see lights blinking out all over the ship. _No_, he thought in terror. _Not again._

"Oh my God..." Rush breathed.

"What is it?" Young asked, dreading the answer. "What happened?"

Everett began to feel his way down to the main floor of the bridge, the light from the consoles acting as the only form of illumination. The darkness filled him up, banishing all hope and joy from his consciousness. He didn't know what was wrong, but from Rush's stricken expression he knew it was bad.

"Rush! What just happe-"

"_Destiny'_s engine died," Eli whispered, his voice laced with a kind of pain and defeat Young had never seen in the young mathematician. "It's completely burnt out, along with navigation and most of the other primary systems.

There was another eerie silence, before Rush finally spoke. His fearful tone made Young shiver: i_s this it? After two years?_

"We're drifting."

* * *

**Present:**

In the sky above, Rush could see the stars slowly emerge from the blackness as the sun continued to fall. They blinked like Christmas lights in the empty void, illuminating it. But the white spots offered Rush no consolation; since _Destiny'_s crash landing on the planet the scientist's brilliant mind had been consumed by disappointment... no, _fear_, at the thought of never understanding why the stars came into existence. Rush understood how they were created: the Big Bang.

_But why? And by whom? _

Suddenly Rush slammed his hand down on the railing that surrounded _Destiny_'s observation deck. _No one else cares! _He had tried to explain the importance of the ships destination to the rest of the crew, but they had shrugged the information off, to pre-occupied by their own problems. _Can't they understand that this is bigger than them? We should be moving forward towards a goal of cosmic importance. We should be..._

But they were not. The ship was devastated and there was no way they could ever repair it.

"Doctor Rush?"

Nicholas turned to face the speaker, somewhat annoyed at the intrusion. A bulky twenty five year old man stepped onto the observation deck cautiously. His bright red shirt reflected the sunlight and stood out against the dark metal of the ships interior. He moved forward a few more paces before hesitating; he was clearly pondering what to say.

"Uh," Eli Wallace uttered finally. "Are you okay?"

Rush lowered his head and blinked, closing his jaw firmly.

"Yeah," he said quietly, turning to look at the view once more. "I'm fine."


	3. Part Three

**Part Three**

**Flashback:**

Lieutenant Matthew Scott activated a flash light, the beam of illumination piercing the darkness all around the control interface room. He simply stood and watched the conversation unfold; helpless. _I'm no scientist_, he thought. _I can't do anything to help the people onboard this ship now. _It was Scott's responsibility to keep everyone safe. But he couldn't.

Doctor Rush collapsed onto the chair next to the interface console, his face the picture of utter defeat. Eli was leaning against the wall of the circular room, his face stern and eyes distant. Colonel Young clasped his hands behind his back, trying to give of an air of confidence and cautious optimism. _I just wish that he believed it himself._

"It seems that there was a malfunction in _Destiny_'s solar energy scoops," Rush stated matter-of-factly. "When the ship tried to recharge its power reserves in the star, the safeguards that prevent an overflow broke down."

"The power distribution network was flooded with a massive amount of energy, burning out the engines and overloading all primary systems except for the shields and life support," Eli continued.

The ominous silence that followed ate away at Scott like a parasite.

"So there's nothing we can do?" Colonel Young asked; he looked as hopeless as Scott felt.

"No," Eli confirmed, his voice croaking. "And that's not even the worst of it."

Rush bowed his head and pressed a button, activating the holographic projection of his screen display. It showed _Destiny_ as a tiny speck, heading towards a huge grey sphere. The scientist opened his mouth to speak.

"We're going to crash into that planet," Eli interrupted in a high-pitched voice as Rush gave him a cold stare. "And this trajectory was not plotted by the ship."

"Are you sure?" Scott asked, worried. "We thought we were going to fly into that gas giant months ago. And the star. But the ship planned both courses, so could it have plotted this one too?"

"No," Rush said, as he pressed another button: arrows appeared on the holographic screen, shooting from Destiny's location to the planet surface. "See?"

"Our course will take us into the planet's atmosphere before we touch down," Eli interjected. "No aero-breaking manoeuvre this time."

"And that's why we think that this course was not plotted," Rush continued. "I can't think of any reason why _Destiny_ would feel the need to land on a planet. We don't even know if the ship is capable of executing an orbital insertion trajectory and landing!"

"Well, can't we steer the ship of course?" Young asked.

"Not with both navigation and propulsion completely shot, along with a score of other primary and secondary systems," Rush replied irritably.

"Are you kidding me?" Young's illusion of calm contorted into rage. "You found the bridge and broke the master code, and yet you still can't even steer the ship slightly off course?"

Scott could already see the signs of more friction between Rush and Young. They had both made some kind of agreement to try and work together when Rush's discovery of the bridge was revealed, and it had seemed like they might actually be able to reconcile for past sins; _apparently not._

"Even if I could, what good would it do us?" Rush yelled, gesturing wildly. "We would be floating without power for weeks into empty space, with no way of repairing the ship or accessing the Stargate network!"

Young took a deep breath. Scott could see that he wanted to hit Rush. _Don't do it, Colonel_, Scott thought pleadingly. _You'll regret it again._ The Colonel turned away from the group and swiftly exited the room, his fists still clenched. Rush shrugged, before heading through the opposite door: _likely headed for the bridge_. Eli was left with Scott in the interface room. There was a painful silence for a moment, before Eli looked briefly at the Lieutenant, avoiding his eyes and blinking. Without a word, the young man left the room too, leaving Scott alone.

_Everybody dies alone._

* * *

**Present:**

Eli moved to stand beside Rush, looking out over the mountainous landscape, his mouth open wide in awe. But his eyes told a different story; they were empty, devoid of hope just like the lifeless space visible in the sky.

"Brody says that they are nearly ready to try again," he stated. "He also wanted to say sorry again for what he said and that he could really do with your expertise. But he does still think you were wrong to lie..."

Rush simply turned to look at the young mathematician, not saying a word. Eli breathed deeply, avoiding Rush's gaze.

"Yeah, I know you wouldn't."

The two of them stood there for a moment, silently observing _Destiny_'s amazing surroundings. _Go away, Eli_, Rush said to himself. _I don't need comforting._

_ Unless _he_ told Eli to watch me?_

"It's beautiful out here," Eli said; _spit it out, _Rush thought._ "_"Look... Nicholas, I just wanted to thank you for bringing me onto the Icarus project. If it wasn't for you beaming me out of my house I would never have had this opportunity and... Well, thanks."

Rush turned to face Eli, who's kind smile widened. He looked exactly the same as the procrastinating geek who had answered the door over a year ago, but Rush knew that his time aboard _Destiny_ had changed him possibly more than any other member of the crew. Now, he was far more confident in his own abilities and was able to think for himself rather than going along with the crowd as he had done for the majority of his life. His natural talent for mathematics had saved their lives on several occasions, and he had finally begun to reach his potential. _This ship helped him find his destiny_, Rush thought; amused. No matter how clichéd that statement sounded, it was true, and not just for Eli.

As Rush remained silent, he could tell that Eli was getting more and more uncomfortable; he fidgeted and blinked quickly, fiddling with his hands.

"I know you don't want to talk to me," he said finally, "but you can't just stay here, isolated from everyone. We need you, Rush."

There had been some bumps along the way for Eli though. _His borderline obsession with Chloe Armstrong has been an issue_, Rush thought to himself. _That, and the fact that he was never able to choose which side he was one: military or civilian. _

Most of the crew believed that the discovery of _Destiny_'s mission had been the first step away from a divided crew, but Rush was reminded of the truth of the situation every time he walked passed Sergeant Greer in the corridors. The look Greer gave Nicholas was one of pure hatred and distrust; even Colonel Young and Lieutenant Scott, who had both invested a lot of time into civilian-military relations, would have preferred not to deal with Rush if they had a choice.

_Well, I'm here. Too bad._

"Eli, I have no desire to try and explain myself to anyone on this ship," he said angrily. "You know why I did what I did. An apology from me won't change our situation."

"But it might change their attitude towards you. Don't you even care?"

The loss of Ginn, one of the Lucian Alliance prisoners left over from the group's attempted invasion of _Destiny_, had hit Eli hard after his little snuggle-up with her. Afterwards he had been almost completely self-centred and much quieter; it was the first time he had ever truly lost someone he cared about. _Selfish child_, Rush thought to himself. _He isn't the only one who lost someone in that little escapade with Simeon._

_ Mandy..._

"Not particularly," Rush replied sternly. "_Destiny_ is dead. Her mission will never be complete. The only thing I want right now is to get her going again and fulfil the Ancient's original goal."

Eli sighed in exasperation before turning and crossing the large observation deck. He stopped just short of the door leading to the corridor beyond.

"Accept it, Rush," he said coldly. "Let her go."

Eli exited the observation deck swiftly, no doubt to help Brody and the others in the gate room. Rush bowed his head again, blinking away a solitary tear.

"I can't."

_I can't..._


	4. Part Four

**Author's Note:**

**Well, here I am - three years after I last updated this story, and wrote fan fiction of any kind. A lovely person, called Yoyi-Yi on here, recently posted a review on this story and my other unfinished _Stargate Universe_ project, _Asteroids_, and it inspired me to take a look at all of my old fan fics. I had an amazing time writing fan fiction, the ones posted here and elsewhere); not only did it improve my creative writing immensely during my teenage years, but it was an incredible experience to be able to explore these universes and characters that I love.**

**While looking at my fan fiction, I found a bunch of material for my _SGU_ stories that I never posted. For this story, _Terminus_, I actually have two and a half chapters that I wrote but didn't put on here. So, I've decided to put these "lost chapters" out there. Here is Part Four, written in 2011, for anyone who would like to read more of _Terminus_. I will not be finishing this story, unfortunately, but I will be writing a brief summary of where the story would have gone - as much as I can remember, anyway. See Part Six (when it's posted) for more. I will be doing the same for _Asteroids_, so keep an eye out for that.**

**These old chapters are three years old, so bare in mind that they do not represent my current writing ability (I haven't edited them at all). But I'm still glad to finally be putting them out there. I hope that anyone who reads this story now or in the future enjoys it for what it's worth. I'd still love to hear your thoughts.**

**Thank you, FF Net. For everything.**

* * *

**Part Four**

**Flashback:**

"This is Colonel Young," a voice boomed from the ships internal speaker system. "We are expecting severe atmospheric turbulence as _Destiny_ approaches the planet. All personal return to your quarters and brace yourselves."

Lieutenant Tamara Johansen began gathering up her belongings.

_Boom!_

Johansen collapsed to the floor of the infirmary. Glass shattered all around her as vials and bottles slipped from the various shelves around the room. The turbulence was intense, far worse than anything they had experienced so far on their journey; her bones felt as if they would shatter.

"Doctor Rush tells me that once we are through the upper atmosphere the ride will become smoother until the ship hits the ground," the Colonel continued. "But make no mistake; we will feel it. So sit down and ride it out."

The paramedic stumbled across the smooth metal floor, scrambling for the fallen radio within arm's reach. She snatched it up and held it to her mouth.

"Colonel Young!" she screamed. "How big is this crash going to be?"

No response.

"Colonel!"

"Damn big, TJ," Young replied after a moment of shuffling. "When we hit the ground I'll send Lieutenant James, Doctor Park and Camille down to the infirmary to give you a hand."

Johansen took a deep breath; there was going to be a lot of injured, some likely serious. And they were low on essential medical supplies.

She staggered to her feet, the shaking somewhat bearable now, and stumbled towards the window showing the exterior of the ship. The darkness of space bled into the white atmosphere and blue sky as the _Destiny_'s triangular shape pierced its way through.

Suddenly the white sheet of air lifted, and the rocky, mountainous landscape of the planet surface was visible miles and miles below them. The shaking subsided, but Johansen could feel the G-forces pressing down on her chest. Then the full scale of the situation hit her.

_We are in free fall!_

Tamara fell backwards onto one of the many Ancient medical gurneys that filled the infirmary. She gripped the sides of the bed tightly, her knuckles going white. They weren't going to make it; she was sure. The ship would crash into the planet and would be destroyed. They would all die. _I will never see my dad again_, she realised. _Or Sara... or her kids_. Tamara closed her eyes and braced herself for the inevitable.

The ship fell towards the planet surface, its huge mass giving it immense momentum. It travelled at hundreds of miles an hour and would be devastated by the impact.

_Crash!_

* * *

**Present:**

Nicholas Rush lifted the metal spoon to his mouth, slurping the white gloop into his mouth. The taste barely registered in his mouth; after over a year of eating the same, protein-rich paste his taste buds had become accustomed to the artificial blend of chemicals.

_And we thought life would get better eventually_, he thought to himself. Regular excursions through the Stargate had allowed the crew to gather food, but they had not come across a planet with an abundance of fruit and vegetables in a while. They were also starting to run low of seeds to grow in the hydroponics lab. The only supplies they had plenty of were protein bars and the powder/water combination Rush was eating. The scientist picked up his cup and gulped down the water within, another scare resource.

_ But the lack of supplies won't matter soon, if all goes according to plan._

As he ate, Rush cast his eyes around the large mess hall. A group of people was sitting around another table on the other side of the room; as he looked at them, they averted their eyes quickly. Rush frowned; it was no different than when he had first dialled the Ninth Chevron address after Icarus base was attacked by the Lucian's, stranding them here in the first place. _They don't trust me_, he thought. _They don't understand me; they_ _never have, and they never will._

Rush could feel more eyes on him, but he ignored them and continued with his delicious meal. _They can hate me all they want, it won't change anything_. He was somewhat surprised at the crews continued – or renewed – resentment of him. They had finally got their wish; they were going home. Some had created a facade of interest in their new mission; in moving forward rather than looking back. But deep down Rush knew that the only thing they wanted was to return to Earth; he could see it in their eyes. _Selfish bastards, _he thought resentfully_. This is about something bigger than them. _The evacuees from Icarus could not face having their every belief in the universe challenged. They did not want to complete _Destiny_'s mission. Some even had doubts as to whether Rush was telling the truth. _I have lied to them on numerous occasions_, he said to himself, _but always for good reason._

Rush was not surprised by their reluctance to pursue the mission. The crew consisted of many religiously inclined people, including Lieutenant Scott, and the prospect of discovering evidence of an artificial order to the universe started by some kind of Supreme Being could just as effectively disprove the existence of God as it could prove it. And while Rush stood by his belief in science rather than religion, he remembered what he had said to Scott during the manhunt for Simeon on that God-forsaken wasteland of a planet:

"_Yes, it's important. Its existence defies the very laws of physics. Is it a message from God? The Almighty creator of the universe, as I'm sure you would like to believe._ _Well, I don't know."_

If the universe was created by a race of advanced alien beings, did that make them indistinguishable from God? Where God and aliens one and the same? Rush did not have the answer.

_And now I never will._

When Rush had first discovered the true nature of the ships mission, and again when the rest of the crew had found out, he had simply sat in the bridge, alone, and stared at the ships current visual representation of the 'message.' Given that Destiny only held partial fragments, the pattern appeared as a blast of static, but hidden deep within the blue chaos was a score of lines that hinted towards an actual structure.

Nicholas had sat there, pondering what possible answers the message contained. And, indeed, whether it was actually real. As Colonel Young had bluntly stated at the time, it looked and sounded like mindless noise; Rush had asked himself fundamental questions that had challenged him to his very core: what if the Ancients were wrong? What if there was no pattern in the cosmic microwave background radiation? What if the universe is just random?

What if _Destiny_ was taking them nowhere?

It was then that Rush had begun to understand that the thing propelling his ambitions and hopes was not definable; it was not based on scientific evidence, mathematical proof or the ability for visual confirmation.

Faith was driving Nicholas Rush along the path towards his fate.

But it was not faith in God, but rather a belief in himself that if he worked and looked hard enough he could be the one to discover the secrets of the universe and find his way to immortality. That was why he was out exploring the universe.

_This ship is my destiny._


	5. Part Five & half of Part Six

**Author's Note:**

**Here is Part Five and what I wrote of Part Six. As I said, these were written three years ago, but I hope that you enjoy reading them. It ends very suddenly, but you can find out more about where the story would have gone when I post the next chapter.**

* * *

**Part Five**

**Flashback:**

Eli Wallace pressed a button, and with a beep a schematic of _Destiny_'s solar power collectors, the very devices which had given out and caused all of their current troubles, appeared on his screen. He was alone in the bridge; the silence was eerie as the morning sun streamed through the bridge windows, bouncing off the golden alloy. Chatter between Adam Brody, an engineer, and Nicholas Rush echoed in the large, circular room, as they continued their attempted repairs in another section of the ship.

It had been just under three weeks since _Destiny_'s epic crash landing. Eli would never forget the experience of being strapped into one of the chairs on the bridge, staring out of the viewports, watching the massive ship dive through the stratosphere before positively _slamming_ into the ground. The impact had been so sudden, so unimaginably powerful, that Eli had felt his rib cage bend under the chair's harness. For a moment he could have sworn that every bone in his body had simply shattered, and that _Destiny_ had split in half.

It had taken a full day for the dust to settle: literally and figuratively. For a long time the crew was in a state of complete and utter shock, with no idea what to do. Everyone had looked to Eli for guidance; he was more approachable than Doctor Rush or Colonel Young, and yet still had sway with both men. In the end, it had been a somewhat joint effort between Young and Rush that had brought the crew together; now every single available person was working towards repairing _Destiny. _

Eli still could hardly believe it when he saw Rush and Young working side by side, their past confrontations and differences apparently forgotten. But the young mathematician was not fooled: he knew that Rush and Young hated each other as much as they had since they came aboard. _They're just putting aside their differences for the good of all of us_, Eli reminded himself. _If provoked, they will be at each other's throats in a second._

_ Very cheerful thoughts, Eli._

The damage the ship sustained in the crash was huge: the engines were completely devastated, and the lower half of the ship had crumpled under the immense force of the impact. Most of the ships energy cannons were beyond fixing and the shields were barely registering. _Good thing the atmosphere of this planet is just about breathable, _Eli mused. There was still some power though, and they had limited access to the ships systems through the bridge and the control interface room.

_ Stop dwelling on how crap the situation is and do something to help. _He pressed a button on the console in front of him, interfacing with the Ancient environmental suits' communication systems.

"How's it going, guys?" Eli said allowed. "Oh, it's Eli by the way.

"I guessed," a voice with a heavy Scottish accent replied; _I bet he's rolling his eyes right now. _"It's slow going, but we are making some progress."

"We think we've fixed two of the power conduits down here in engineering," Adam Brody continued. "But there's always a chance that they might be a coolant leak, leading to a repeat of Riley's accident."

_Riley._

Everyone was silent for a moment and the reminder of the friend they had lost. Eli felt the wound within his heart re-open, the feeling of loss permeating his entire being. Even now, months after the tragic event, he would walk into the gate room and smile, expecting to see Sergeant Hunter Riley stood at the console working. _But he's never there. Never._

_"It's not so much being here, as it is not being there..."_

Brody broke the silence, his voice breaking.

"Anyway, uh, we don't want to risk sending power through the ones we have fixed until we are done with all of them."

Eli took a deep breath. _Happy thoughts, happy thoughts..._

"You know you could get Doctor Park to help you?"

"No, she needs to continue work on the FTL drives themselves," Rush replied.

_All she's doing is controlling the repair drone_, Eli thought incredulously. _Anyone could do that. Okay, maybe not anyone, but still._

"What are you working on, Eli?" Rush asked out of the blue, a hint of sarcasm in his voice.

"Uh, analysing the functionality of the fusion scoops," Eli replied quickly, fumbling his words slightly. "No point in being able to restart the engines without the ability to gather enough power to run them for a sustained amount of time."

"True enough," Rush replied, taking the rebuke in his stride; _how do you like it, Rush?_ "Check in again if you make any more progress. And make sure Doctor Volker doesn't have any problems organising his team to repair the damaged areas of the hull."

"Roger that, Eli out."

While Eli thought Rush was very patronising from time to time, he did agree that Dale Volker was perhaps not the best person to be put in charge of thirty-odd people, especially when half of them were military. _He has enough problems standing up to Rush and Young, let alone a group of soldiers who have no idea where to start with repairing a star ship._

Eli sighed, putting the larger problems out of his mind and focusing on the task at hand. He twisted a dial on the console and pressed a button, the beeps and clicks echoing in the bridge. He frowned in confusion: no matter how many times he went over the relevant code and system information, he could find no evidence of any kind of glitch or problem which would have caused the collectors to malfunction and allow all the power of a star to flood the ship.

Eli activated the communications system once more.

"Doctor Rush, are you sure that there was nothing abnormal about the star we passed through?"

The subsequent silence made Eli feel slightly uncomfortable. After a moment he heard and deep sigh through the radio,

"Yes, Eli, I'm sure," Rush replied irritably. "_Destiny_ scanned the star for viability when we entered the system. And yes, I did perform my own scan of the seed ship data to make sure."

Eli's frown deepened; something was not quite right.

"Why?" Rush asked, his tone almost defensive.

"Because I can't find anything in the code that suggests some kind of glitch or malfunction occurred," Eli stated. "The only logical explanation is that they took a hit during our most recent space battle."

"No, no. The fusion scoops retract back into the underside of the hull when the ship exits a star for protection," Rush stated matter-of-factly. "And plus the ship says that they are fine; if there was some kind of damage, it would register."

_You'd think so, wouldn't you,_ Eli asked himself rhetorically. _Maybe it's a problem with power distribution rather than the power generators themselves? _No; if a primary system like that experienced such a serious malfunction, every computer screen on the ship would be flashing red. _It doesn't make any sense..._

"Get back to work, Eli," Rush ordered. "Try and figure it out."

_It's okay for you to say, you're not the one who did not even know the Stargate Program existed two years ago. _Within a day of the revelation, he had been thrust through the Stargate after Rush had disobeyed orders and dialed the Ninth Chevron, stranding them all on _Destiny. That was nearly two years ago? Wow..._

Eli minimised the schematic of the energy scoops and activating the external sensors. At least, he attempted to. Instead, lines of code Eli had never seen before flashed on the screen in front of him.

"What the hell...?" Eli breathed.

Both the external and long-range sensors had been locked out by some kind of pass code. He hovered his hand over the activation switch for the communication system, but talked himself out of it; _Rush won't want to know unless I have at least _tried_ to figure out what's going on. Maybe _Destiny_ thought it would be funny to lock us out of those systems? _Eli dove into the code and began running the numbers through his brain, using a simple trial and improvement method to figure out the missing pieces that would grant him access. After a solid thirty minutes of calculating, the result finally presented itself, and Eli gained access to the sensors.

Weird.

He immediately began analysing the element composition and age of the star; while he was no astrophysicist, he understood enough about the formation of stellar bodies to tell that there was nothing out of the ordinary. _It's not so different from our own sun. _Just to make sure, Eli began searching _Destiny_'s database for information regarding the star and the solar system; the Stargate seeding ships that had been sent ahead of the ship relayed back a record of the planets in their path.

His eyes widened in shock as he scanned the planets included in the course plotted by the seed ships. _How could Rush have not noticed this? He said that he scanned the information from the seed ships. _Eli instantly trained Destiny's planetary sensors over the planet the ship now rested on. A small box filled with Ancient text popped up on the screen with a beep: the mineral composition of the planets core.

"Oh my God!"

_He lied to us,_ Eli realised with terror. _The bastard lied to us all!_

* * *

**Present:**

"Doctor Rush?"

Nicholas looked up from his bowl of gloop to see Matthew Scott walking towards him. The other people in the mess hall watched the young soldier with a wary eye; _they aren't happy about him consorting with the enemy, no doubt_, Rush thought.

"Hello, Lieutenant," Rush answered. "Have you come to yell at me again? Or have one of your men try and shoot me?"

Scott sat down opposite him, clasping his hands firmly together and sighing.

"I didn't order him to do that."

"You didn't stop him either," Rush retorted aggressively.

The Lieutenant bowed his head in frustration and ran one hand through his buzz cut black hair. Rush scanned the weary man; _military uniformity_, he thought. _What a load of pointless crap. _He wore the standard black SGC uniform with the Icarus base badge and insignia on one shoulder. Scott was not known for enjoying the feel of a weapon on his hip at all times, but Rush could just make out the tip of a nine millimetre hand gun in its holster.

"Look, Rush," Scott said finally. "I understand why you did what you did, Okay? I can't say I agree with your judgement, but I do understand."

"Good for you."

"But that doesn't change anything," Scott continued as if he had not been interrupted. "You lied to every single person aboard this ship. We were here for three weeks – _three weeks_ – before Eli found out that the key to going home was right under our noses."

"The chances of you actually being able to make a connection are so unimaginably slim I doubt your jarhead brain to even begin to comprehend it."

"That's not what Brody and Volker tell me," Scott said defensively.

"Well, it's your funeral, Lieutenant," Rush stated. "Oh, wait; it's not just your funeral. It's all of our funerals! Because that is exactly what will happen if you listen to those _idiots_ who claim to be scientists."

Scott was seething now. He leant forward, his face barely a foot away from Rush's. _Come on then, Scott,_ Rush thought. _If you want to hit me, hit me. Sink to Sergeant Greer's level._

"Rush, I get it, okay," he said with fire in his eyes. "You don't want to go home. But there's got to be more to your decision to lie to us all than that.

"Not really."

With a yell Scott slammed his fist down on the metal table. He opened his mouth to scream, before he noticed everyone in the mess hall watching the two of them. _Don't want an audience, eh, Scott?_

"Damn it, Rush, stop lying to me," he breathed, his whole body shaking with rage.

Rush said nothing._ I knew he would not be able to handle the burden of being in charge_, Rush thought to himself. _The stress of the job is getting to him already_. At least it took a couple of months for it to start to affect Colonel Young.

Was the Colonel better suited for the job that Scott?

Annoyed at Rush's silence, Scott stood up and made for the exit, before turning and speaking once more.

"If you decide that you want to act like a human being, head down to the gate room and give the rest of the science team a hand," Scott said.

Anger rose within Rush like a tidal wave. He stood up quickly.

"Just because you're in charge now, doesn't mean I am going to let your order me around!" he yelled across the room, not caring who heard him. "You think you have what it takes to lead these people? You're less fit to be a leader than Colonel Young was!"

A fist slammed into the side of Rush's face. Pain exploded in the scientists jaw bone. He was momentarily shocked, before he pushed the pain from his mind and recoiled. As Rush drew his own fists back, he stopped instantly, and he saw Scott's muscular form exiting the doorway with all haste.

_Coward._

* * *

**Part Six (partial, never finished)**

**Flashback:**

Master Sergeant Ronald Greer cast his vacant eyes across the dusty expanse in front of him. He could feel the sand moving and sliding underneath his bulky combat boots. The desert stretched out in front of him for miles and miles until it reached the gargantuan mountains in the distance; they loomed over the exploration team.

_Why is it that every other planet out here seems to be desert?_

Greer looked to his right. Lieutenant Scott was walking briskly beside him, holding a large G36 assault rifle with both hands. Greer smiled: he could clearly see the beads of sweat that covered Scott's faced.

"Man, why do you always wear that black uniform when we go to a desert planet?" Greer asked, trying to hold back laughter. "You're sweatin' like a pig."

Scott scoffed and smiled, looking over at Greer, as Lieutenant James and Airmen Dunning, who were walking a few paces behind, started laughing. _We're like a family_, Greer thought to himself. _But then that's why I joined: the feeling of being a part of something, of being somebody. _For most of his life Greer's father had made him into a scared child filled with hate, but the military and given him a purpose in life. _I have friends for the first time. _But Greer doubted whether Scott or James or any of his other military friends would ever understand what they meant to him. _They can't._

"I wouldn't really call this a desert," Scott said, still smiling. "Not like some of the planets we've been to."

"It's hot, dry and makes me sweat," Greer said matter-of-factly. "It's a desert."

Greer's mind drifted as he looked at his friend. _He's never been through true hardship_, he thought. But immediately he took it back: Greer knew that Scott's parents had been killed in a car accident when he was six years old and that he was brought up by a drunken priest. Scott had had a far tougher life than most people; but not as tough as Greer's. _He doesn't understand. No one does._

"We're pretty lucky that this planet has a breathable atmosphere," Scott stated.

"Lucky?" Greer asked rhetorically. "The ship crashed and was almost completely destroyed. How is that in anyway lucky?"

"If this planet had a poisonous atmosphere, we'd be dead. The shields are barely working and there are hull breaches all over the ship. You think the atmosphere wouldn't leak into the ship and kill us all?"

"At least we wouldn't be walking this God-forsaken desert," Greer grumbled.

The heat was sweltering inside Greer's thick body armour and military fatigues. The sun was high in the sky, scorching the dry sand and zapping the teams' energy and hydration.

"We should be helping to repair _Destiny_," James offered her opinion on a regular basis. "Not wandering this wasteland for no reason."

"Repair _Destiny_?" Greer asked again. "Look at that."

He pointed behind them at the immense shape of the vessel sprawled over the never-ending desert; _Destiny_ was completely dead.

"There's no way to fix that kind of damage; I don't care how smart Rush thinks he is."

"Let's try and keep a positive attitude, Greer," Scott said; _typical. _"And on the subject of this little excursion, we're gonna be on this planet for a good long while either way. We have to at least explore it a little."

"Do we?" James asked, downbeat. "Do we really?"

Scott shot James a warning look. The relationship between the two of them had really not ended well. _Chloe's fault_, Greer concluded. He had never much cared for Scott's habit of switching between women every five seconds, and Greer found it odd how he claimed to be so religious and yet approached sex so casually. Scott was a complicated man in his own right, and despite the fact that he was the closest thing Greer had ever had to a best friend, he did not quite understand why the Lieutenant did some of the things he did.

"Lieutenant Scott, do you read me?" a static infused voice said.

Scott reached up to his black military issue radio and pressed the 'transmit' button before speaking.

"Go ahead, sir."

"Bring you and your team back to the airlock. Brody will let you in," the Colonel said.

"But Colonel, we've only been out here for an hour."

"Feels like a hell of a lot longer than that," Greer interrupted.

"We've got a situation here," Young stated. "Once you're back onboard, head straight to the bridge. Eli's yelling like he's on fire and I'm on my way to find out why."

"Roger that, Colonel, we're on our way. Scott out."

The Lieutenant looked curiously at Greer, who shrugged: _how would I know? _The four man team turned and began running back towards the airlock on Destiny's underside, their minds racing.

_I wonder what Rush has done this time._

* * *

**Present:**

Rush rapped on the ancient metal with his knuckles. He bowed his head. Loud footfalls reverberated through the round metal door in front of him, as his mind ran over the numerous possibilities of what he was going to say. When the door finally slid open with a hiss, he opened his mouth, but found himself staring at someone he had not expected to see.

**THE END**

* * *

**Author's Note: **

**Again, sorry for such an abrupt ending, but this is the most I ever wrote for _Terminus. _See the next chapter to find out what would have happened (when I post it).**


End file.
